Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust - Finding Neverland
by ImpalaGirl4484
Summary: How do you save someone when you are quickly losing hope? With faith, trust, pixie dust and a pirate who refuses to give up. Emma Swan, her parents, arch nemesis Regina Mills, Mr. Gold and Captain Killian Jones aka Captain Hook travel to Neverland to save Henry from certain doom. Takes place at the start of Season Two. Eventual M rating. Warning will be posted.


**Prologue**

She needed more time. She need more strength. She needed help. Emma knew she couldn't hang on to him for very much longer and the fact that he was already injured were definitely hampering him helping himself. The wind whipped all around her and it took every ounce of strength she had to just hold on to his hand. Pressure filled her ears as she screams for him to not let go, to just hang on until help arrives. "Where are they?" She wondered to herself. Glancing back down at him, at the man she had loved with all her heart all those many years ago, she can tell by the look in his eyes that this is truly goodbye. She feels his grip loosen and as the tears well up in her eyes, she shakes her head in disbelief. No. This couldn't be the way this was going to end. He just needed to hang on. She needed to hang on.

"I love you, Emma."

Then he was gone. Emma watched in horror as Neal fell into the vortex that was still threatening to suck her in. She wanted to let it. She wanted to just disappear from all the heartache and pain that she had gone through and yet, she didn't let herself fall. Even though her heart was shattering, she held on until the void closed. As she sat up, still in shock at everything that had just happened, she leaned back against the wall, the tears finally falling. Emma allowed herself a few uninterrupted moments to mourn before standing up and brushing herself off. She still had a job to do. She needed to find Tamara and make her pay for all of this. Turning on her heel, her jaw set in determination, Emma took off running through the cannery in search of her mother and father.

**Chapter One**

"Emma? Are you awake down here?"

Emma Swan rolled over, smacking her head on the wooden beam then feels pain shoot between her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm up. Sort of."

Groaning and holding her head, she turns to face Snow White, otherwise known as Mary Margaret or better yet, Mom. They had been on the Jolly Roger for a few weeks now in search of Greg and Tamara after they had kidnapped her son Henry and pulled him into a magical vortex that led to Neverland. Last night had been an especially rocky one when a storm had kicked up from out of nowhere and it had tossed the ship all over the place. Emma had mostly gotten her sea legs by this point but last night had proved to be a little too much for her for she promptly found herself being more a hindrance than a help because she spent most of the time leaning over the railing, getting sick over and over.

"I came down to see if maybe you were hungry?"

Her mother gave her a sympathetic smile and crossed the tiny room over to her bunk. It was still sort of strange for Emma to think of Mary Margaret as her mother. However, if she was being truly honest with herself, she guessed it made sense somehow. Mary Margaret had always looked out for her. She had taken her in, no questions asked, when Emma had first arrived in Storybrooke. She had laughed with her, cried with her and conspired with her against Regina. The way Emma saw it now, it was good that she had been best friends with her first because it just served to strengthen their bond as mother and daughter now.

"I think I'm gonna hold off for a bit on eating for now. My stomach still hates me for yesterday. But thanks Mar..I mean Mom."

Snow chuckled softly at her daughter's slip up. She knew that Emma was still adjusting to everything that had happened over the last month or so. Her poor daughter hadn't been given one free moment to process it all. Between the curse lifting, Storybrooke almost being destroyed by Regina, losing Neal and Henry all in one day...Snow sighed softly and did her best to put her trademark optimistic smile on her face as she patted Emma's hand.

"Well, when your ready to come up on deck, Hook would like to speak to all of us, okay?"

Emma tilted her head slightly, wondering what could possibly be going on now for Killian to be calling a "staff meeting" as he had grown accustomed to calling them one night after a bit too much rum.

"Is everything okay?"

"Oh, you know Hook sweetheart. I think that man talks just to hear his own voice." Snow laughed and shook her head. "I'm sure everything is fine though. Just, take your time."

With that Snow turned to walk out, leaving Emma to dress and clear her head. Swinging her legs over the side of her bunk, she dropped to the floor, holding onto the wall to make sure the room wouldn't start spinning again. Finally satisfied that she would be fine, Emma reached down and grabbed her black jeans to pull them on. Her mind drifted back to her dream from earlier. It was more of a memory than anything really and a frown flickered across her face. There was so much she had wanted to say to Neal. So many apologies she had wanted to make. So much to forgive him for and she wasn't given the time to do it.

Emma shook her head to clear her thoughts as she finished dressing. After checking her face and hair in the small mirror, she took a deep breath and opened to door to head up to the deck. Sunlight temporarily blinded her as she reached the top of the stairs and she raised her hand to cover her eyes. Above her, she saw the clear, blue sky. Not a cloud in sight today, a fact she was grateful for. Looking around, she spotted her father and Mr. Gold, hunched over a map at the far end of the ship, and they appeared to be having a very heated discussion.

"Glad to see you are fairing a bit better today, lass."

Turning her head, Emma is greeted by the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Under normal circumstances she probably would have been hypnotized by them. She could have very easily let herself get lost in his gaze. Unfortunately though, nothing in her life was or would ever be normal again.

"Oh, I'm sure you were just loving my misery Hook." She offered him a wry smile and rolled her eyes when he feigned injury. "And don't give me that look. I heard your chortling when you were at the helm last night."

Killian Jones shook his head and leaned in slightly, which was a custom of his when talking to Emma. He always wanted to be closer to her. Something about the way Emma Swan talked to him, treated him and tried to ignore him just made him all that more interested in her.

"I promise, love. If I was laughing, it wasn't at you. In fact, several times I wanted to come check on you after you had retired but your father over there wouldn't allow me to get within ten feet of that door. I should have thrown him overboard for attempting to tell me what what to do on my bloody ship, but because he's your father, I let him live."

Hook winked at Emma and gave her a smirk. She would never admit it but that look always made her stomach flip flop. She could just imagine Charming and Hook standing toe to toe, ready to duke it out because she had been tossing her cookies all night.

"Well, as you can see, I'm fine now so no need for anyone to walk the plank."

Emma moved to go past Hook, working on pulling her hair up. She didn't see the look in his eyes as he took in the gentle curve of her neck. She was a beautiful, strong woman, of that he had no doubt. But much like himself, she was a tough nut to crack. Oh, but how he would enjoy trying to break down her walls.

"Yes. One could say you look downright bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning, Swan."

Emma turned to face him, finishing with her hair. "I don't know about all that but I'm definitely ready to get to dry land. How much longer do you think until we get there?"

Hook sauntered over to her, stopping directly in front of Emma. "Why Emma, I'm a little hurt. I thought you liked having a captive audience." He smirked at her, staring into her eyes, fighting every instinct to not laugh as she swallowed hard. He inhales her scent as he brushes past her, walking to the wheel and pulling out the compass. "We should be close according to this thing. Don't you fret, Miss Swan. We will have young Henry back in no time. I promise you this."

Emma cleared her throat, nodding and looked out over the horizon. Glancing up, she eyes the empty crows nest. "Well, while you do your..pirate thing, I'm gonna go up there and see what I can make out."

Hook followed her line of sight upwards and smiled. He could tell the first time he saw her that she would make an excellent sailor. She was tough, resilient and could definitely hold her own most of the time. "Right. Just be careful climbing up there. Many a man has fallen from that rope ladder and had to be put out of commission."

Emma gives him her trademark eye roll before heading over to the rope ladder leading up to the crow's nest. "I'm sure I'll be just fine Hook but thanks for the concern." With one final glance, she began climbing. Midway up, her foot slipped and she growled low when she hears Hook's chuckle from the helm. Getting her footing again, she continued her ascent until she reached the top, manuvering her way through the hole in the bottom of the enclosure. Once she is standing, Emma is awestruck at the view. No doubt she could get used to seeing this but only on occasion. She didn't exactly fancy being on this damn ship any longer than she needed to be.

The sun, blinding and hot, glares down on the Jolly Roger and it's occupants. No wind blows and the ships sails lay limp on their masts like deflated ghosts. The day has dragged on and Emma exhausted from not having really slept the previous night. With the ship at pretty much at a dead stop on the water, tempers are starting to rise as quickly as the temperature.

Hearing a commotion from below, Emma looks over the edge of the crow's nest, only to see Mr. Gold and Hook in yet another argument. Emma wondered to herself why those two couldn't put their damn differences aside for once. They had bigger and worse problems to worry about at the moment than a centuries old grudge match over a woman.

Part of her understood Hook's position. She completely got why he wanted revenge. Milah had been his love. But he tended to forget that she was Mr. Gold's love first. It was a mess much like everything had become over the last year back in Storybrooke. Sighing with frustration, Emma turned her head back to look out over the sparkling water. So much of her life had change since that night when Henry had shown up on her doorstep in Boston. If she were being honest, part of her was still trying to wrap her brain around it all. But even with all the heartache that had happened, Emma knew she would never regret Henry showing up in her life again. The day Emma gave him up for adoption had been the worst day of her life. She could still hear the cries that came out of her when the nurse took him from her arms. She did her best to memorize his sweet, tiny face, the perfect mix of both Neal and herself. Emma had whispered in his ear how sorry she was and how much she would always love him. But the second the hospital door closed, a huge wall went around her heart and she closed herself off to ever letting anyone in again. She had done just fine for a lot of years too. That was until she made the decision to go to Storybrooke.

Never in a million years would she have expected to fall for someone as fast as she did with Graham. She had fought off her feelings for the town's sheriff for as long as she could. Emma made every effort possible to push him further and further away. She hadn't been planning on staying in town, so how could she even bother getting close to a man. That wasn't even taking into account that the last guy she had given her heart to had betrayed her in ways she could have never imagined. Her shoulders grow heavy as she think of Neal and their last moments together before he was gone. In that short moment, Emma had felt that wall come down and for just a few seconds when he said he loved her, Emma had allowed herself a glimmer of hope. It was all shattered when he fell through the void after being shot.

Shaking her head, Emma tried do clear the painful memory from her mind. Down below she can hear her father doing his best to be diplomatic as he tries to break up the argument between Gold and Hook. Swords had been drawn at this point and there was her father David standing in the middle of them. Leaning over the side of the small enclosure she is still standing in, she hollers down at the group.

"Would you two grow up?! We don't have time for this pissing contest. Get over your issues and focus on getting this ship moving."

Hook glanced up at her and gave a slight nod before putting away his sword. Emma knew he was trying his best to stay on her good side even though she couldn't figure out why. She had betrayed him not once, but twice. She knew she didn't deserve his loyalty or his help but she was beyond grateful for all of it. Emma saw something in him that few others could see. Mostly because they wouldn't take the time to get over the fact he was a pirate. But she had. Emma had seen the hurt in his eyes when she had left him chained at the top of the beanstalk. She had also seen the anger of a man who had his heart broken when he attacked Gold in New York. He had said it best when he told her they were alike in a lot of ways.

With the fight finally over, Emma watched her mother walk over to her father and wrap her arms around his waist, hugging him close. She envied them. Even though she constantly told herself that love would only get her hurt, Emma knew that deep down inside, she wanted what they had. True love. Maybe someday she would find it however right now, it wasn't important. All that mattered was finding her son.

When Emma finally lifted her eyes, she was greeted the most incredible sight she had ever seen. She feels her heart skip a beat as her gaze follows the horizon. Green, rolling hills cross the span, with mountain peaks dotting the land. Excited, Emma bounced up and down, pointing frantically as she cried out to everyone below. She knew in her heart what she was looking at and that tiny spark of hope reignited inside of her. She was looking at the wondrous site of Neverland.


End file.
